Ozone distribution in a faucet

ABSTRACT

A faucet for dispensing a fluid includes a spout, a pull-out spray head removably coupled to the spout and including an outlet, and a valve assembly in fluid communication with the outlet. Additionally, the faucet includes a fluid treatment assembly configured to output a treatment into the fluid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/362,764, filed Jun. 4, 2014, which is a 371national phase filing of International Application No.PCT/US2012/068283, filed Dec. 6, 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/567,392, filed Dec. 6, 2011,the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an electronic faucet and,more particularly, to an electronic faucet including a water treatmentdevice.

Fluid delivery devices, such as faucets, may include a fluid treatmentdevice. For example, a treatment device may include a filter or a watersoftener configured to treat the water before it flows from the faucet.A user input may be provided for controlled use of the fluid treatmentdevice.

Additionally, a faucet may be configured to provide water from an outletwith different flow patterns or modes (e.g., stream, spray, or otheraerated flow). A user may toggle between the flow modes using mechanicaland/or electrical inputs.

According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, afaucet comprises a spout, a first valve in fluid communication with thespout, and a second valve spaced apart from the first valve and in fluidcommunication with the spout. The faucet further comprises a first flowpath fluidly coupled to the first valve, a second flow path fluidlycoupled to the second valve, and an antibacterial device fluidly coupledto the second flow path. The faucet is configured to selectively flowfluid through one of the first flow path and the second flow path. Whenin the first flow path, the fluid flows through the first valve inspaced relation to the antibacterial device. When in the second flowpath, the fluid flows through the second valve and the antibacterialdevice.

According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure,a faucet for dispensing a fluid comprises a spout and a pull-out sprayhead removably coupled to the spout and including an outlet. The faucetfurther comprises a valve assembly in fluid communication with theoutlet and an antibacterial device configured to output a treatment intothe fluid.

According to yet another illustrative embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a fluid delivery device for outputting a fluid comprises aspout supporting an outlet and a valve assembly in fluid communicationwith the outlet. The fluid delivery device further comprises acontroller operably coupled to the valve assembly and a fluid treatmentassembly operably coupled to the controller. The controller isconfigured to detect operation of the fluid treatment assembly basedupon a temperature and a flow rate of the fluid. The controller also isconfigured to control operation of the fluid delivery device when theflow rate is lower than a predetermined minimum flow rate and when thetemperature is greater than a predetermined temperature.

According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure,a faucet comprises a spout supporting an outlet and a valve assembly influid communication with the outlet. The faucet further comprises awater treatment assembly having a water treatment device and a housing.A first portion of water is configured to flow through the watertreatment device and a second portion of water is configured to flowaround the water treatment device. The first and second portions ofwater are generally coaxial in the housing. The water treatment deviceis configured to output a treatment to the first portion of water.

According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure,a housing for a fluid treatment device of a faucet comprises an inlettube, a first cavity fluidly coupled to the inlet tube, a second cavityfluidly coupled to the first cavity and supporting the fluid treatmentdevice, and an electrically operable valve supported within the firstcavity. A fluid treatment assembly is supported within the second cavityand is fluidly coupled to the electrically operable valve. An outlettube is fluidly coupled to the second cavity. The first cavity issubstantially aligned with the second cavity. The fluid in the firstcavity flows through the electrically operable valve and is directedinto the second cavity.

According to a further illustrative embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a faucet for delivering fluid comprises a spout, anelectrically operable valve fluidly coupled to the spout, and an ozonetreatment device configured to provide ozone in the fluid. The faucetfurther comprises a capacitive sensor operably coupled to the ozonetreatment device. The capacitive sensor provides an output signal. Thefaucet also comprises a controller operably coupled to the capacitivesensor. The controller is configured to monitor the output signal fromthe capacitive sensor to selectively operate the ozone treatment device.

According to a further illustrative embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a faucet comprises a spout, a first valve assembly in fluidcommunication with the spout, and a second valve assembly in fluidcommunication with the spout and the first valve assembly. The faucetfurther comprises a third valve assembly in fluid communication with thespout, a fluid treatment assembly in fluid communication with the thirdvalve assembly, and a user input. The user input is configured toselectively flow fluid through the first and second valve assemblieswhen in a non-treatment mode, and is configured to selectively flowfluid through the third valve assembly and the fluid treatment assemblywhen in a treatment mode.

According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure,an electronic fluid delivery device comprises a spout configured todeliver fluid from an outlet, a valve assembly in fluid communicationwith the spout, and a sensor operably coupled to the spout andconfigured to detect a flow mode at the outlet. The electronic fluiddelivery device further comprises a user input operably coupled to thesensor and a controller in electronic communication with the sensor andthe user input. The sensor is configured to provide an electrical signalto the controller indicative of the detected flow mode at the outlet.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the followingdetailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying thebest mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description of the drawings particularly refers to theaccompanying Figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment faucet of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of a water treatment assembly ofthe faucet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a further exploded perspective view of the water treatmentassembly of the faucet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a water treatment housing of thewater treatment assembly of FIG. 2, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a detailed view of the water treatment housing of FIG. 3 whenthe faucet is operating;

FIG. 4B is a detailed view of the water treatment housing when thefaucet is not operating;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment assembly of FIG.2, taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the water treatment housing of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the present disclosure, illustrating aplurality of inputs and at least one output;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment faucet of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative water treatmentassembly of the faucet of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the water treatment assembly of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the water treatment assemblyof FIG. 10

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment assembly ofFIG. 10, illustrating the flow of water when the faucet is in anon-treatment mode;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment assembly ofFIG. 10, illustrating the flow of water when the faucet is in atreatment mode;

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of a water treatment device and a cap;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment device of FIG.14, taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment device and thecap of FIG. 14, taken along line 16-16 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 17A is a schematic view of the illustrative water treatmentassembly of FIG. 10;

FIG. 17B is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of the watertreatment assembly of FIG. 17A;

FIG. 18A is a first portion of a diagrammatic view of an illustrativemethod of operation according to the present disclosure, illustrating aplurality of inputs and conditions; and

FIG. 18B is a second portion of the diagrammatic view of FIG. 18A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the invention described herein are not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to precise forms disclosed. Rather,the embodiments selected for description have been chosen to enable oneskilled in the art to practice the invention. Although the disclosure isdescribed in connection with water, it should be understood thatadditional types of fluids may be used.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an illustrative embodiment faucet 10 isshown including a spout body 12, a hub 14, a spray head 15, a valveassembly 20, a waterway assembly 24, a mounting assembly 35, a watertreatment assembly 50, and a controller 136 (FIG. 7). In operation,faucet 10 receives water from hot and cold water supplies 6 and 8,respectively, and selectively mixes the incoming water to provide waterto an outlet 2 at spray head 15. Faucet 10 may be mounted to a sink deck5 or other suitable surface with outlet 2 positioned to direct waterinto a sink basin 1, for example.

The illustrative hub 14 of faucet 10 is a generally hollow componenthaving a vertically disposed body portion 14 a and an angled valveportion 14 b extending therefrom. As shown in FIG. 1, open ends 16, 18of body portion 14 a are longitudinally disposed and open end 22 ofvalve portion 14 b is laterally disposed at an angle from open ends 16,18. In particular, valve portion 14 b is illustratively positioned atany angle greater than 00 and less than or equal to 90° relative to bodyportion 14 a. Body portion 14 a of hub 14 includes an open bottom end 16that is configured to be supported above sink deck 5. Body portion 14 aof hub 14 also includes an open top end 18 that is configured to matewith spout body 12. For example, top end 18 of body portion 14 a mayinclude an internally threaded bore (not shown) that is sized to receiveand engage an externally threaded end (not shown) of spout body 12,thereby securing spout body 12 onto hub 14.

Referring to FIG. 1, similar to body portion 14 a of hub 14, valveportion 14 b also includes an open end 22 for coupling with a handle 34of valve assembly 20. The illustrative valve assembly 20 of faucet 10includes handle 34 and at least a valve body 32. Valve assembly 20 issupported by valve portion 14 b of hub 14 and may be removably coupledthereto. In this illustrative embodiment, valve assembly 20 may beremoved from the open end 22 of valve portion 14 b for cleaning orservicing. Valve body 32 may be a conventional mixing valve thatuniformly mixes the hot and cold water entering valve assembly 20 frominlet tubes 26, 28, respectively. For example, valve body 32 may be amovable disc variety or a ball-type variety. Furthermore, valve assembly20 and mixing valve 32 may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No.7,753,074 to Rosko et al., issued on Jul. 13, 2010, which is expresslyincorporated by reference herein.

Hub 14 of faucet 10 may be formed of a traditional metallic material,such as zinc or brass. It is also within the scope of the presentdisclosure that hub 14 may be formed of a non-metallic material, such asa polymer. Suitable non-metallic materials that may be used to constructhub 14 include cross-linkable polyethylene (PEX), polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), polyester, melamine, melamine urea, and melaminephenolic.

As shown in FIG. 1, hub 14 is coupled to mounting assembly 35 above sinkdeck 5. Mounting assembly 35 includes at least a pedestal 36, which iscoupled to hub 14 above sink deck 5, and a base plate 38. Pedestal 36 ispositioned intermediate bottom end 16 of hub 14 and base plate 38.Conventional sealing members, such as o-rings (not shown), may bepositioned between pedestal 36 and hub 14, and similarly, betweenpedestal 36 and base plate 38. Base plate 38 is supported above sinkdeck 5 and a conventional sealing member (not shown) may be positionedbetween base plate 38 and sink deck 5. Conventional fasteners (such asthreaded shanks and nuts) may be used to stabilize hub 14 and couplebase plate 38 to sink deck 5.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, illustrative waterway assembly 24 offaucet 10 includes a hot water inlet tube 26, a cold water inlet tube28, and an outlet tube 30. Hot and cold water inlet tubes 26, 28 ofwaterway assembly 24 may be fluidly coupled to hot and cold watersupplies 6, 8, respectively, for receiving water into faucet 10.Illustratively, outlet tube 30 includes a first portion 30 a and asecond portion 30 b. Both first and second portions 30 a, 30 b of outlettube 30 are fluidly coupled to water treatment assembly 50. Moreparticularly, first portion 30 a extends between valve assembly 20 and awater treatment housing 54 of water treatment assembly 50. Secondportion 30 b extends below water treatment housing 54 and bends upwardlyto pass through spout body 12 and couple with spray head 15 to deliverwater from outlet 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, inlet tubes 26, 28 extend beneath hub 14 and mayinclude conventional fluid couplings, such as nuts, for fluidly couplinghot and cold inlet tubes 26, 28 onto hot and cold water supplies 6, 8,respectively. Likewise, first portion 30 a of outlet tube 30 may includeconventional fluid couplings for fluidly coupling to water treatmenthousing 54 and valve assembly 20. Additionally, second portion 30 b mayinclude conventional fluid couplings for coupling to water treatmenthousing 54. Furthermore, conventional sealants (e.g., o-rings) may beincluded with the conventional fluid couplings. For example, waterwayassembly may be constructed by the method set forth in InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/US10/25524 to Nelson et al., filed Feb. 26,2010, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by referenceherein.

To limit contact between the water in faucet 10 and metallic components,waterway assembly 24 may be formed of a flexible, non-metallic material,such as a polymer, illustratively a cross-linkable polymer.Alternatively, waterway assembly 24 may be lined with a non-metallicmaterial. As such, waterway assembly 24 is illustratively electricallynon-conductive. In one illustrative embodiment, substantially the entirewaterway assembly 24, including inlet tubes 26, 28, and outlet tube 30is formed of a polyethylene which is subsequently cross-linked to formcross-linked polyethylene (PEX). Other suitable materials that may beused to construct waterway assembly 24 include polyethylene (PE) (suchas raised temperature resistant polyethylene (PE-RT)), polypropylene(PP) (such as polypropylene random (PPR)), and polybutylene (PB). It isfurther envisioned that waterway assembly 24 may be constructed ofcross-linked polyvinyl chloride (PVCX) using siline free radicalinitiators, cross-linked polyurethane, or cross-linked propylene (XLPP)using peroxide or siline free radical initiators. It is within the scopeof the present disclosure that the polymer material used to constructwaterway assembly 24 may include reinforcing members, such as glassfibers.

As shown in FIG. 1, spray head 15 is removably coupled to spout body 12and is in fluid communication with second portion 30 b of outlet tube30. Illustrative spray head 15 is a pull-down type but it is appreciatedthat spray head 15 may embody other types of spray heads. Spray head 15is operably coupled to spout body 12 through a coupling (not shown), forexample resilient fingers, bayonet coupling, or magnetic coupling. Inoperation, spray head 15 may be configured in a first position or asecond position. More particularly, in the first position, an end 13 ofspray head 15 is proximately coupled to an end 11 of spout body 12.Conversely, in the second position, spray head 15 extends from spoutbody 12 via second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30 such that end 11 ofspout body 12 and end 13 of spray head 15 are spaced apart. Although thedisclosure is described in connection with a pull-out spray head, itshould be understood that additional types of spray heads or spoutbodies may be used. For example, faucet 10 may include a spout having anoutlet with a fixed aerator thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7, spray head 15 may be configured to adjustthe flow mode of the water at outlet 2. The flow mode of operation maybe a spray, a stream, or an aerated mode, or any combination thereof,and may include additional flow outlet patterns. Spray head 15 or hub 14may be mechanically or electrically coupled to a mode sensor 120 inorder to communicate the flow mode to controller 136. More particularly,mode sensor 120 may be positioned on or within faucet 10 and may includea user input (not shown) to electrically toggle or switch between astream mode, a spray mode, or other aerated modes, for example. A streammode may output water from outlet 2 in a laminar, less turbulent mannerthan a spray mode. Mode sensor 120 may be configured to detect changesin specific characteristics of the water or the flow pattern, forexample the turbulence of the water, in order to determine the mode.

Mode sensor 120 may be a piezoelectric element, a radio frequency (“RF”)device, a mechanical latching switch, a wireless sensor, a turbinegenerator for detecting flow rate, a deflection switch, a magnetic orHall-Effect sensor, or a capacitive sensor, for example, in electroniccommunication with the user input in order to vary the flow mode ofwater at outlet 2. In one illustrative embodiment, mode sensor 120 is apiezoelectric element for detecting changes in pressure pulses orvibrations to indicate when the mode changes between stream and spray.For example, faucet 10 may be configured to start in a default orbaseline mode, such as the spray mode, and mode sensor 120 is configuredto detect a change in pressure and/or vibrations which indicate that themode has changed. In a further illustrative embodiment, mode sensor 120may operate in conjunction with a capacitive sensor 138, using touch orproximity sensing, in order to toggle between the stream mode and thespray mode. Additionally, capacitive sensor 138 may be used to turnfaucet 10 on and off (i.e., start and stop the flow of water throughwaterway assembly 24), as detailed further hereinafter.

Outlet 2 may also include an aerator of the laminar-type (not shown) tochange the water at outlet 2 between an aerated flow and a laminar flow.The aerator may include a plurality of openings that are configured torotate and form various patterns or adjust the flow mode to promoteeither an aerated or a laminar flow. For example, rotating the aeratorto align all of the openings may produce a laminar flow. Additionally,the aerator may include electronic sensors or mechanical couplings totoggle between aerated and laminar flow.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, water treatment assembly 50 of faucet 10 furthercomprises a cover 52 supported under sink deck 5, a printed circuitboard 56, a water treatment device 58, illustratively an antibacterialdevice such as an ozone generator, and an electrically operable valve60. Water treatment housing 54 is positioned within cover 52.Optionally, cover 52 may be surrounded by a shell 62 (FIG. 1). Shell 62may be formed as a single unit or may include first and second sides 62a, 62 b that couple together about the perimeter of shell 62. Althoughthe disclosure is described in connection with ozone treatment, itshould be understood that additional types of fluid treatment may beused.

With respect to FIGS. 2 and 5, cover 52 illustratively includes a firstside 52 a and a second side 52 b which are generally mirror images andrepresent approximately half of cover 52. First and second sides 52 a,52 b are coupled about the perimeter of cover 52 to illustratively forma cube having a generally square cross-section. However, cover 52 mayform other shapes. Alternatively, cover 52 may be formed as a singleunit. Additionally, cover 52 and shell 62 may be formed ofnon-conductive materials, such as polymers.

Referring to FIGS. 2-6, water treatment housing 54 includes an inletwaterway 64 and an outlet waterway 66. Inlet and outlet waterways 64, 66may be oriented in close proximity to each other but not directlyaligned. More particularly, illustrative inlet waterway 64 may belaterally offset from outlet waterway 66 such that inlet waterway 64 andoutlet waterway 66 are substantially parallel. By positioning inlet andoutlet waterway 64, 66 in close proximity to each other, water treatmenthousing 54 may be more compact. Alternatively, inlet and outletwaterways 64, 66 of water treatment housing 54 may be angled relative toeach other.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6, a filter or screen 112 may bepositioned within inlet waterway 64 of water treatment housing 54.Filter 112 may be comprised of a finely-woven mesh material in order toremove impurities and other particulate matter from the water. As such,filter 112 may improve the quality of the water. Additionally, filter112 may increase the uniformity of the water.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, water treatment housing 54 extends from above anupper surface 68 of cover 52 and below a lower surface 70 of cover 52.More particularly, upper surface 68 of cover 52 includes an aperture 72through which inlet waterway 64 of water treatment housing 54 extendsand lower surface 70 of cover 52 includes an aperture 74 through whichoutlet waterway 66 of water treatment housing 54 extends. Watertreatment housing 54 may include a valve cavity 76 and a treatmentcavity 84. Treatment cavity 84 is aligned with valve cavity 76 and maybe spaced apart therefrom by a wall 106 of water treatment housing 54.More particularly, valve cavity 76 and treatment cavity 84 aresubstantially perpendicular to inlet and outlet waterways 64, 66 ofwater treatment housing 54. Treatment cavity 84 extends toward a lateralsurface 86 of cover 52 and extends through an aperture 88 in lateralsurface 86.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-4A, valve cavity 76 supports electrically operablevalve 60, which may be coupled to water treatment housing 54 and circuitboard 56 via conventional fasteners, for example a plurality of screws61, and/or adhesive materials. Electrically operable valve 60 extendssubstantially perpendicularly to inlet waterway 64 and outlet waterway66 of water treatment housing 54. Electrically operable valve 60 may bean electromechanical valve, illustratively a solenoid valve, thatconverts energy into linear motion. Illustratively, electricallyoperable valve 60 includes a magnetic portion 78, a plunger 80, and avalve member 82. More particularly, plunger 80 is positioned withinmagnetic portion 78 and valve member 82 is spaced apart from magneticportion 78. Valve member 82 includes a first side 82 a that is comprisedof magnetic material (e.g., metal) and a second side 82 b that iscomprised of a non-conductive sealing material (e.g., rubber).Electrically operable valve 60 is electrically coupled to an externalpower supply 146 (e.g., the electrical system of the house, building, orother structure in which faucet 10 is used) (not shown).

Illustratively, electrically operably valve 60 further includes a springmechanism 275 (FIG. 11) within magnetic portion 78 that is adjacent toan end of plunger 80, such that plunger 80 is spring-biased withinmagnetic portion 78. In particular, plunger 80 is spring-biased toward aclosed position. In other words, electrically operable valve 60 isclosed when no power is supplied thereto and plunger 80 may extend frommagnetic portion 78. Additionally, spring mechanism 275 (FIG. 11) isextended and not compressed by plunger 80. More particularly, in theclosed position, plunger 80 contacts first side 82 a of valve member 82,thereby pushing or propelling valve member 82 toward a valve seat 83 ofwall 106 (FIGS. 4A, 4B). As such, second side 82 b of valve member 82 issealingly engaged with valve seat 83 to prevent water from flowing intovalve cavity 76.

Conversely, during operation, a voltage is applied to magnetic portion78 to form a magnetic field along plunger 80 when faucet 10 isoperating. The magnetic field causes plunger 80 to slide or retractwithin magnetic portion 78 to open or actuate electrically operablevalve 60. When electrically operable valve 60 is in the open position,plunger 80 retracts within magnetic portion 78 and compresses springmechanism 275 (FIG. 11). As such, when electrically operable valve 60 isoperating, plunger 80 is spaced apart from valve member 82, therebyallowing the water pressure of the water in inlet waterway 64 to createa pressure differential in valve cavity 76 and push valve member 82 awayfrom valve seat 83 and toward plunger 80 and magnetic portion 78. Duringoperation, electrically operable valve 60 may generate heat and,therefore, a heat sink 114 may be coupled to circuit board 56 andpositioned near electrically operable valve 60. Cover 52 may include aplurality of narrow openings or slits 116 in at least upper surface 68adjacent heat sink 114 to vent heat produced by electrically operablevalve 60.

With continued to reference to FIGS. 3, 4A, and 4B, treatment cavity 84removably supports a treatment device, illustratively water treatmentdevice 58, therein. Illustrative water treatment device 58 may be afilter device, an antibacterial device, or any other device configuredto treat a fluid within faucet 10. Antibacterial devices are configuredto kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, for example in foods or oninanimate surfaces or hands (Seehttp://www.fda.govIFood/ResourcesForYou/StudentsTeachers/ScienceandTheFoodSupply/ucm215830.htm). Illustratively, antibacterial devices may use chemicaltreatments (e.g., chlorine), additives, ozone, UV, and other knownmethods to kill or inhibit growth of bacteria.

Illustratively, water treatment device 58 is an antibacterial ozonegenerator configured to output a treatment with activity againstbacteria into the water. Water treatment device 58 is positionedupstream from outlet tube 30 and is housed within a sleeve 90. Sleeve 90and water treatment device 58 extend along a longitudinal axis l oftreatment cavity 84 (FIGS. 3 and 6). An open threaded end 96 oftreatment cavity 84 is threadedly coupled to a threaded fastener or cap98 (e.g., a nut) to retain sleeve 90 within treatment cavity 84. Sleeve90 may further include at least one groove 100 to receive a sealingmember 102. Illustratively, a first end 94 of sleeve 90 includes firstand second grooves 100 to receive first and second sealing members 102(e.g., o-rings).

Water treatment device 58 illustratively includes at least one channel118, an ozone production device, illustratively a pill 59, and electriccouplers, illustratively cables or wires 92. Wires 92 extend from firstend 94 of sleeve 90. Illustratively, water treatment device 58 includesfirst and second channels 118 a, 118 b that may be substantiallyparallel to longitudinal axis l of treatment cavity 84 (FIG. 3).Additionally, pill 59 of water treatment device 58 may be intermediatechannels 118 a, 118 b. In operation, water flows between valve cavity 76and treatment cavity 84 and is separated such that a portion of thewater flows through water treatment device 58 and a portion of the waterside streams through channels 118 a, 118 b. As shown in FIG. 4A, sidestreaming water is illustratively denoted by arrows 150A and as such,bypasses water treatment device 58. The water flowing through watertreatment device 58 is illustratively denoted by arrows 150B and may betreated, for example with ozone, if water treatment device 58 isoperating. As shown in FIG. 4A, arrows 150A and 150B indicate that thetreated water and the non-treated water flow in generally coaxialdirections during operation of faucet 10. The side streaming water 150Aand the water 150B flowing through water treatment device 58 mixtogether in second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30. When faucet 10 of thepresent disclosure is operating (i.e., electrically operable valve 60 isin the open position), a portion of the water flowing through watertreatment housing 54 side streams and a portion of the water flowsthrough water treatment device 58, regardless of whether water treatmentdevice 58 is operating. In particular, the side streaming water 150A mayminimize the pressure drop within a water passageway 110 of watertreatment housing 54.

With continued reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, wall 106 of water treatmenthousing 54 is positioned intermediate treatment cavity 84 and valvecavity 76. Wall 106 may abut a second end 104 of sleeve 90 to preventsleeve 90 and water treatment device 58 from extending into valve cavity76. More particularly, wall 106 includes openings 108 that regulate andcontrol water flowing between valve cavity 76 and treatment cavity 84.Optionally, a spacer (not shown) having at least one opening or windowmay be positioned between second end 104 of sleeve 90 and wall 106 inorder to further regulate and control the volume of water that flowsbetween valve cavity 76 and treatment cavity 84. In particular, openings108 control and regulate the volume of water 150B that flows throughwater treatment device 58 and the volume of water 150A that sidestreams.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4A, and 4B, water passageway 110 of watertreatment housing 54 extends between inlet waterway 64 and outletwaterway 66 and between valve cavity 76 and treatment cavity 84.Illustratively, water passageway 110 has a generally serpentine shape.More particularly, water passageway 110 is substantially verticalthrough inlet waterway 64 and includes a substantially right-angle bendand continues into valve cavity 76. Water passageway 110 continues fromvalve cavity 76, through openings 108 in wall 106, and extends intotreatment cavity 84. Water passageway 110 includes another substantiallyright-angle bend in treatment cavity 84 and is substantially verticalthrough outlet waterway 66. By including another substantiallyright-angle bend, a return passageway of water passageway 110 reversesthe flow direction of the water, which illustratively reduces thedistance between inlet waterway 64 and outlet waterway 66. Additionally,the return passageway may be approximately parallel to treatment cavity84, thereby further decreasing the size of water treatment housing 54.

To limit contact between the water in faucet 10 and metallic components,water treatment housing 54 may be formed of a flexible, non-metallicmaterial, such as a polymer, illustratively a cross-linkable polymer.Alternatively, water treatment housing 54 may be lined with anon-metallic material. As such, water treatment housing 54 isillustratively electrically non-conductive. In one illustrativeembodiment, substantially the entire water treatment housing 54 isformed of a polyethylene which is subsequently cross-linked to formcross-linked polyethylene (PEX). Other suitable materials that may beused to construct water treatment housing 54 include polyethylene (PE)(such as raised temperature resistant polyethylene (PE-RT)),polypropylene (PP) (such as polypropylene random (PPR)), andpolybutylene (PB). It is further envisioned that water treatment housing54 may be constructed of cross-linked polyvinyl chloride (PVCX) usingsilane free radical initiators, cross-linked polyurethane, orcross-linked propylene (XLPP) using peroxide or silane free radicalinitiators. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that thepolymer material used to construct water treatment housing 54 mayinclude reinforcing members, such as glass fibers.

Water treatment device 58 may be used to produce ozone (03) that absorbsinto the water in water treatment housing 54. Water treatment device 58may be configured to produce ozone through conventional methods (e.g.,corona discharge or “hot spark,” electrolysis, plasma, UV). Faucet 10may further include an aspirator (not shown) to facilitate the treatmentof the water.

Illustratively, water treatment device 58 uses an electrolytic processwhich allows ozone to be produced under pressure, and therefore, mayincrease the concentration of ozone in the water relative to other ozoneproduction methods. In particular, an electric current is supplied towires 92 and is transmitted to pill 59 of water treatment device 58 inorder to produce ozone. Wires 92 are electrically coupled to externalpower supply 146. Exemplary ozone generators 58 may be available fromEOI Electrolytic Ozone Inc. or Klaris Corporation Inc. Because watertreatment device 58 is positioned under sink deck 5, sufficient time ispermitted for the ozone to be absorbed by the water in second portion 30b of outlet tube 30 before the ozone-treated water is delivered fromoutlet 2. For example, outlet tube 30 may be approximately 36 inches inlength in order to allow the ozone to be dissolved or absorbed in thewater before reaching outlet 2. In addition to ozone, water treatmentdevice 58 also may be configured to treat the water in other ways and/orwith other chemicals. For example, controller 136 may be configured toalter the treatment produced by water treatment device 58 in response toa user input or desired fluid application.

When water treatment device 58 is configured to produce ozone, theozone-treated water at outlet 2 is preferably used as a disinfectant orcleaning agent. Additionally, the ozone-treated water may be used todisinfect drinking water. More particularly, until the ozone dissolvedin the water is destroyed or otherwise destructed, the ozone-treatedwater performs a disinfecting function (i.e., actively disinfectsobjects in contact with the water). Alternatively, if the ozonedissolved in the water is destroyed, the ozone-treated water remainsdisinfected or clean; however, the ozone-treated water no longeractively performs a disinfecting function. For example, disinfectedozone-treated water may be preferable for clean drinking waterapplications, whereas ozone-treated water that actively performs adisinfecting function may be preferable as a cleaning agent.

Faucet 10, and in particular waterway assembly 24, may include a filter113 (FIGS. 17A and 17B) downstream from water treatment device 58.Filter 113 may be configured to further improve the quality of the waterby removing impurities or other particles. Additionally, filter 113 maybe, for example, a carbon black filter, may be configured to destroy ordestruct the ozone in the water in second portion 30 b of outlet tube30. As such, the water in second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30 istreated with ozone and is disinfected or clean as it is delivered fromoutlet 2. However, when the ozone in the water is destroyed by filter113, the water delivered from outlet 2 no longer actively disinfectsobjects in contact with the water. Controller 136 may be operablycoupled to filter 113 to control operation of filter 113 and/or the flowof water through filter 113 (i.e., through a bypass valve). As such, auser may selectively operate filter 113 in order to produce disinfectedwater for particular clean water applications (e.g., drinking) anddisinfecting water for other water applications (e.g., cleaning).

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 7, controller 136 may receive input fromsensors or other ozone user inputs 134 to turn water treatment device 58on and off. Illustratively, user input 134 is a mechanical push buttonon pedestal 36. Alternatively, user input 134 may be a capacitivesensing button. Controller 136 electrically controls the operation ofwater treatment device 58 and may include a timer or clock 142 to turnoff water treatment device 58 after a predetermined length of time ofoperation. For example, controller 136 may be configured to turn offwater treatment device 58 after four consecutive minutes of operation.Additionally, clock 142 may record a cumulative amount of time thatwater treatment device 58 has been operating within a predeterminedperiod. For example, when water treatment device 58 cumulativelyoperates for approximately 15 minutes during a 60-minute period, clock142 may send a signal to controller 136. In response thereto, controller136 may prevent water treatment device 58 from operating until watertreatment device 58 has been inactive for a predetermined time.

Additionally, clock 142 may be configured as a water treatment retentiontimer. More particularly, controller 136 may cooperate with clock 142 tocontinue operation of water treatment device 58 when a user accidentallybumps or taps spout 12, thereby accidentally turning off the water. Forexample, when water flows from outlet 2 and user input 134 is activated,controller 136 activates water treatment device 58 to deliver treatedwater from outlet 2. However, if a user accidentally bumps or taps spout12 while water treatment device 58 is operating, thereby turning off thewater, and then subsequently taps spout 12 again within a predeterminedtime period, the water will turn on and treated water will continue toflow from outlet 2. As such, controller 136 continues operation of watertreatment device 58 for a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds) afterspout 12 receives a tap to turn water off. If the user does not tapspout 12 within the predetermined time period to turn on the wateragain, thereby indicating that the user did not accidentally turn offthe water, controller 136 will stop operation of water treatment device58. It may be appreciated that controller 136 may differentiate betweena tap on spout 12 for controlling operation of faucet 10 and a grab onspout 12 for adjusting the position of spout 12. In particular, spout 12is configured to swivel or rotate and a user may adjust the position ofspout 12 without turning on/off the water.

Faucet 10 also may include a display or other signal (not shown)operably coupled to user input 134 to indicate to a user whether watertreatment device 58 is operating. For example, faucet 10 may include alight-emitting diode (“LED”) display on pedestal 36 that may use aspecific color to indicate if water treatment device 58 is active (i.e.,turned on). In other illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure,user input 134 may be backlit and illuminates to indicate that watertreatment device 58 is operating. For example, user input 134 may bebacklit to illuminate a white light when water treatment device 58 isoperating. Additionally, user input 134 may include a temperatureindicator, for example a blue light for cold water and a red light forhot water. Additionally, user input 134 may be configured to graduallychange from red to blue or blue to red to indicate a respective decreaseor increase in the temperature of the water, as measured by thermistor122.

Alternatively, capacitive sensor 138 and controller 136 may be used tooperate water treatment device 58 and/or actuate electrically operablevalve 60 through touch or proximity sensing technology. As such,capacitive sensor 138, in combination with controller 136, may beconfigured to monitor and control the operation of both electricallyoperable valve 60 and water treatment device 58. Capacitive sensor 138may comprise a hands-free proximity sensor, such as an infrared sensorcoupled to spout 12, or a touch sensor, such as an accelerometer, forcesensor, or push button, to control activation of electrically operablevalve 60 and/or water treatment device 58 in a manner similar to thatdisclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0253220 toSawaski et al., the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated byreference herein. More particularly, capacitive sensor 138 also maycomprise an electrode (not shown) coupled to spout body 12. The sidewall of spout body 12 may be formed of an electrically conductivematerial (e.g., metal) and define the electrode. In other illustrativeembodiments, the electrode may be defined by a separate electricallyconductive element, such as a metal plate. Any suitable capacitivesensor 138 may be used, such as a CapSense capacitive sensor availablefrom Cypress Semiconductor Corporation.

An output from capacitive sensor 138 is coupled to controller 136. Moreparticularly, controller 136 may determine whether a touch (tap or grab)is detected on spout body 12 and/or whether a user's hands or otherobject is within a detection area proximate spout body 12. For example,if capacitive sensor 138 is operating with the touch sensor, when atouch is detected on spout body 12, controller 136 determines the touchpattern (number of touches) before implementing different functions offaucet 10. Controller 136 may determine that a single tap was detectedon spout body 12, thereby indicating that electrically operable valve 60should be turned on or off. Alternatively, controller 136 may determinethat two taps (a double tap) were detected on spout body 12 within apredetermined time period (e.g., one second), thereby indicating thatwater treatment device 58 should be turned on or off.

The illustrative embodiment faucet 10 may operate according to thefollowing example. When electrically operable valve 60 is closed, faucet10 does not operate. A single tap on spout body 12 may activateoperating electrically operable valve 60. However, a double tap on spoutbody 12 may activate both electrically operable valve 60 and watertreatment device 58, such that the water at outlet 2 is treated withozone. Only a single tap on spout body 12 may be required tosimultaneously turn off both electrically operable valve 60 and watertreatment device 58. Furthermore, if electrically operable valve 60 isactivated, a double tap on spout body 12 may turn water treatment device58 on and off. However, a double tap on spout body 12 will not turn offelectrically operable valve 60, such that only operation of watertreatment device 58 may be affected by a double tap on spout body 12. Asis further detailed below, water treatment device 58 will not operatewhen electrically operable valve 60 is not operating.

The effectiveness of water treatment device 58 is proportional to theconcentration of ozone in the water. For example, theoxidation-reduction potential (“ORP”) (i.e., the cleanliness) of thewater treated with ozone may be one method of determining theeffectiveness of water treatment device 58. Similarly, the “kill-rate”of the ozone in the water indicates the effectiveness of water treatmentdevice 58 and measures the amount of contaminants in the water. Faucet10 may include a quality sensor 144 (FIG. 7) to measure the ORP and/orthe kill-rate, thereby monitoring the effectiveness of water treatmentdevice 58.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5-7, the concentration of ozone in thewater, and therefore, the effectiveness of water treatment device 58,may be affected by parameters or properties of the water, such as flowrate, temperature, the flow mode at outlet 2, and the amount of powersupplied to water treatment device 58. As such, faucet 10 furtherincludes a temperature sensor, illustratively a thermistor 122, and aflow rate sensor assembly 124, which illustratively includes a turbine126 and a Hall-Effect sensor 128. Controller 136 monitors and controlsthe operation of water treatment device 58 in response to signals sentby thermistor 122 and flow rate sensor assembly 124 indicating thecorresponding values for the water. Additionally, faucet 10 may includea power sensor 140 to monitor the power available to electricallyoperable valve 60 and water treatment device 58.

Thermistor 122 may be positioned within a thermistor retainer 123coupled to inlet waterway 64 of water treatment housing 54. Moreparticularly, thermistor 122 is positioned upstream to valve cavity 76and treatment cavity 84 in order to monitor the temperature of the waterbefore it flows to water treatment device 58. Illustratively, thermistor122 is oriented perpendicularly to inlet waterway 64 of water treatmenthousing 54, however thermistor 122 may be positioned in a differentorientation, depending on the configuration of water treatment housing54.

The temperature of the water is inversely related to the concentrationof ozone in the water. In particular, as the temperature of the waterincreases, the concentration of ozone in the water may decrease due toundesirable off-gassing. When controller 136 receives a temperaturemeasurement from thermistor 122 that is greater than a predeterminedmaximum temperature, such that the temperature of the water willadversely affect the concentration of ozone in the water, controller 136may prevent water treatment device 58 from operating. As such, if watertreatment device 58 is activated when the water temperature is equal toor greater than the predetermined maximum temperature, user input 134may indicate to a user that water treatment device 58 has not beenturned on. Additionally, due to the inverse relationship between ozoneconcentration and temperature of the water, water treatment device 58 ispositioned downstream of valve assembly 20. More particularly, if anozone production device is positioned within hot and cold inlet tubes26, 28, the water would not yet be mixed in valve assembly 20 and theconcentration of ozone in the hot water may be diminished relative tothe concentration of ozone in the cold water. By positioning watertreatment device 58 downstream from valve assembly 20, the concentrationof ozone in the water may be more uniform and the effectiveness of watertreatment device 58 may increase. Further, turbine 126 of flow ratesensor assembly 124 helps mix hot and cold water and is, therefore,upstream of thermistor 122.

Similarly, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5-7, the flow rate of the watermay affect the concentration of ozone in the water, and therefore, theeffectiveness of water treatment device 58. More particularly, when theflow rate of the water is low, undesirable off-gassing may occur.Additionally, when the flow rate of the water is high, the concentrationof the ozone in the water may be adversely affected (i.e., too low),thereby also decreasing the effectiveness of water treatment device 58.As such, in certain illustrative embodiments, controller 136 may beoperably coupled to flow rate sensor assembly 124 and water treatmentdevice 58 in order to proportionally adjust the ozone output relative tothe flow rate. Furthermore, the flow rate may be correlated to thevolume of water requested and/or the capacity of faucet 10 and watertreatment device 58.

Turbine 126 of flow rate sensor assembly 124 may be positioned withininlet waterway 64 of water treatment housing 54 and aligned withHall-Effect sensor 128, which is external to inlet waterway 64. Moreparticularly, Hall-Effect sensor 128 is positioned intermediate inletwaterway 64 and circuit board 56. Additionally, flow rate sensorassembly 124 may be adjacent to and downstream from filter 112. Flowrate sensor assembly 124 is positioned upstream to valve cavity 76 andtreatment cavity 84 in order to monitor the flow rate of the waterbefore entering treatment cavity 84.

During operation, when water flows through inlet waterway 64 of watertreatment housing 54, flow rate sensor assembly 124 monitors the flowrate of the water and electrically communicates a signal to controller136. More particularly, turbine 126 facilitates mixing of the hot andcold water entering water treatment housing 54 by rotating as the waterpasses through. Hall-Effect sensor 128 detects the number of rotationsmade by turbine 126 during a predetermined time period and transmits asignal to controller 136 indicative thereof. Controller 136 isconfigured to equate the number of rotations of turbine 126 to aparticular flow rate of the water. When the flow rate of the water iswithin a desired operating range, for example between 0.01-2.5gallons/minute, water treatment device 58 will not operate. For example,if water treatment device 58 is turned on while the flow rate is lowerthan the predetermined minimum rate (e.g., 0.01 gallons/minute),controller 136 prevents water treatment device 58 from operating.Similarly, if ozone generator is turned on while the flow rate isgreater than the predetermined maximum rate (e.g., 2.5 gallons/minute),controller 136 also prevents water treatment device 58 from operating.Alternatively, the maximum flow rate may be controlled by a flowrestrictor, for example flow restrictor 200 (FIG. 17A), which maintainsthe flow rate at or below the predetermined maximum flow rate. If theflow rate is not within the operating range, user input 134 may indicateto a user that water treatment device 58 has not been activated. Also,it may be understood that water treatment device 58 will not operate ifelectrically operable valve 60 is not operating.

In alternative embodiments, controller 136 may be configured to controloperation of water treatment device 58 to proportionally increase ordecrease the production of ozone relative to the flow rate and/or thetemperature of the water. In particular, pill 59 of water treatmentdevice 58 may be operated by controller 136 to optimize the productionof ozone such that the concentration of ozone absorbed into the wateralso is optimized based upon the detected flow rate and temperature ofthe water.

The flow modes of the water at outlet 2, or variations thereof, also mayaffect the concentration of ozone in the water. More particularly, theturbulence of the water is inversely related to the concentration ofozone in the water. As the turbulence of the water increases, theconcentration of ozone in the water may decrease. As detailed above, thestream mode produces a more laminar, less turbulent flow of water atoutlet 2 when compared to the spray mode. Additionally, the water isless turbulent when the aerator produces a laminar stream. As such, modesensor 120 may send a signal to controller 136 to prevent watertreatment device 58 from operating when spray head 15 is in a spraymode, when the aerator is in an aerated mode, or in another mode thatmay increase the turbulence of the water. If water treatment device 58is turned on when spray head 15 is in the spray mode, for example,controller 136 will prevent water treatment device 58 from operating anduser input 134 may indicate to a user that water treatment device 58 hasnot been activated.

Furthermore, it may be appreciated that water treatment device 58 ispositioned in an unrestricted portion of waterway assembly 24. Forexample, filter 112, flow rate assembly 124, and electrically operablevalve 60 may restrict water flow or narrow water passageway 110, whichmay increase the turbulence of the water. However, water treatmentdevice 58 is positioned downstream of filter 112, flow rate assembly124, and electrically operable valve 60, thereby ensuring that theturbulence in the water is minimized before the water enters watertreatment device 58. Additionally, ozone in the water may adverselyaffect components of faucet 10, for example valve disc 82. Inparticular, ozone may erode the material comprising valve disc 82.Therefore, by positioning water treatment device 58 downstream fromelectrically operable valve 60, damage to valve disc 82 and othercomponents of faucet 10 may be minimized.

Additionally, power sensor 140 is illustratively in electricalcommunication with controller 136 and wires 92 of water treatment device58 (FIG. 7). As such, power sensor 140 monitors the power (e.g.,electric current) supplied to water treatment device 58 because thecurrent flowing through pill 59 is proportional to the concentration ofozone produced by water treatment device 58. More particularly, if thecurrent is lower than a predetermined amount, no ozone may be producedby water treatment device 58. As detailed above, a low concentration ofozone decreases the effectiveness of water treatment device 58.Therefore, if water treatment device 58 is turned on when the currentsupplied to water treatment device 58 is below a predetermined minimumlevel, controller 136 will prevent water treatment device 58 fromoperating. User input 134 may indicate to a user that water treatmentdevice 58 has not been activated. For example, if external power supply146 loses power, no current is supplied to water treatment device 58,and controller 136 prevents water treatment device 58 from operating.

Controller 136 also may communicate with a secondary or back-up powersource, illustratively battery 130, coupled to cover 52 and electricallycoupled to electrically operable valve 60. More particularly, ifexternal power supply 146 loses power, electrically operable valve 60may be prevented from operating. However, battery 130 or other secondarypower system may provide electricity to electrically operable valve 60in the event of a power loss. Battery 130 is illustratively a qV batterythat is coupled to lower surface 72 of cover 52. More particularly,lower surface 72 of cover 52 includes a cover 132 extending downwardlytherefrom and generally surrounding battery 130. The illustrativeembodiment of cover 132 includes a first side 132 a and a second side132 b that are coupled together to form cover 132 around battery 130.However, cover 132 may be constructed as a single piece that isconfigured to receive battery 130. Illustrative battery 130 is notcoupled to water treatment device 58 and, therefore, may not supplypower to water treatment device 58. As such, water treatment device 58will not operate during a power loss even when electrically operablevalve 60 is operating via battery 130 and water is flowing from outlet2.

As detailed herein, and with reference to FIG. 7, controller 136monitors and controls the operation of water treatment device 58. Moreparticularly, controller 136 receives input signals from at leastthermistor 122, flow rate sensor assembly 124, mode sensor 120, andpower sensor 140 in order to determine when, and if, water treatmentdevice 58 may be prevented from operating. For example, when thetemperature of the water is greater than a predetermined maximum, whenthe flow rate of the water is not within the operating range, when theflow mode at outlet 2 is defines a spray mode, and when no power issupplied to water treatment device 58, controller 136 will output asignal to prevent water treatment device 58 from operating. Controller136 also may be in electrical communication with quality sensor 144.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, 4A, 4B, and 7, in use, hot and cold water flowsfrom hot and cold water supplies 6, 8, through hot and cold inlet tubes26, 28, to valve assembly 20 of faucet 10. The water mixes in valveassembly 20 and flows downward through first portion 30 a of outlet tube30 toward water treatment housing 54. The water enters inlet waterway 64of water treatment housing 54 flowing through filter 112 and turbine 126of flow rate sensor assembly 124, and flowing past thermistor 122. Thewater bends at a generally right angle to enter valve cavity 76.Electrically operable valve 60 is operated and the water pressure pushesvalve member 82 toward plunger 80, thereby allowing water to flowthrough valve cavity 76 and openings 108 in wall 106 toward treatmentcavity 84.

Water enters treatment cavity 84 and a portion of the water 150A (FIG.4A) side streams, or bypasses water treatment device 58, and a portionof the water 150B (FIG. 4A) enters channels 118 a, 118 b of watertreatment device 58. The water flows from treatment cavity 84 and bendsat a generally right angle to flow downwardly toward outlet waterway 66of water treatment housing 54. The water 150A, 150B leaving treatmentcavity 84 flows in a reverse direction relative to the water enteringtreatment cavity 84. The water continues to flow through second portion30 b of outlet tube 30 toward spray head 15 and outlet 2. The water atoutlet 2 may be a spray, a stream, or aerated, depending on the modeselected.

Referring to FIG. 4A, as water flows through water treatment housing 54,flow rate sensor assembly 124 and thermistor 122 may each electricallycommunicate a signal to controller 136 indicative of the respective flowrate and temperature of the water. Additionally, controller 136 mayreceive a signal from mode sensor 120 indicative of the flow mode of thewater. If water treatment device 58 is not operating (i.e., user input134 or capacitive sensor 138 was not activated and no signal was sent tocontroller 136 to activate water treatment device 58), no ozone isgenerated as water flows through channels 118 a, 118 b of watertreatment device 58. The side streaming water then mixes with the waterexiting channels 118 a, 118 b and combines to flow toward outletwaterway 66, through outlet tube 30, and toward spray head 15 and outlet2.

However, if user input 134 or capacitive sensor 138 sends a signal tocontroller 136 indicating that ozone generation is requested, controller136 determines if the flow rate is within the operating range and,likewise, if a temperature of the water is below a predetermined maximumtemperature. Additionally, controller 136 determines if the flow mode ofthe water defines a stream and if power is available for water treatmentdevice 58. If the flow rate is within the operating range, thetemperature of the water is below the predetermined maximum temperature,the flow mode is a stream, and power is available, controller 136 willactivate water treatment device 58. As such, and with reference to FIG.4A, power is supplied to water treatment device 58, in particular topill 59, in order to produce ozone as the water flows through watertreatment device 58. Pill 59 mixes ozone into the water in channels 118a, 118 b. The ozone-treated water mixes with the side streaming waterflowing around sleeve 90 water in second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30to deliver water to outlet 2.

Conversely, if controller 136 determines that the temperature of thewater is greater than the predetermined temperature, that the flow rateis not within the operating range, that the water at outlet 2 is in thespray mode, or that insufficient power is available to water treatmentdevice 58, controller 136 prevents water treatment device 58 fromoperating. User input 134 may indicate that water treatment device 58 isnot operating. As such, water flowing through channels 118 a, 118 b ofwater treatment device 58 is not treated with ozone.

As shown in FIG. 4B, when faucet 10 is turned off, electrically operablevalve 60 does not operate and no power is supplied to electricallyoperable valve 60. As such, valve member 82 seals against valve seat 83to prevent water from entering valve cavity 76. When electricallyoperable valve 60 is not operating, water may not flow through outlettube 30 or spray head 15 and water treatment device 58 is not activated.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, to service or replace water treatmentdevice 58, cap 98 is removed from first end 96 of treatment cavity 84.Sleeve 90, including water treatment device 58 positioned therein, maybe slidably removed from treatment cavity 84 along longitudinal axis l.As such, sleeve 90 allows water treatment device 58 to be removed fromwater treatment housing 54 without accessing the interior of cover 52.Similarly, water treatment device 58 and sleeve 90 may be coupled towater treatment housing 54 by sliding sleeve 90 along longitudinal axisl and coupling cap 98 to first end 96 of treatment cavity 84.

Referring next to FIGS. 8-13, another illustrative embodiment faucet 10′is shown. Faucet 10′ of FIGS. 8-13 includes features similar to those offaucet 10 of FIGS. 1-7, with like reference numerals indicating likeelements, except as described below. Similar to faucet 10, illustrativefaucet 10′ includes spout body 12, hub 14, spray head 15, valve assembly20, a waterway assembly 24′, mounting assembly 35, a water treatmentassembly 50′, and controller 136 (FIG. 7). In operation, faucet 10′receives water from hot and cold water supplies 6 and 8, respectively,and selectively mixes the incoming water in valve body 32 to providewater to outlet 2 at spray head 15. Faucet 10′ may be mounted to sinkdeck 5 with mounting assembly 35 and is arranged to direct water fromoutlet 2 into sink basin 1, for example. Water treatment assembly 50′may be easily added to faucet 10′ without disrupting the configurationof other components of faucet 10′.

With reference to FIG. 8, illustrative waterway assembly 24′ of faucet10′ includes hot water inlet tube 26 fluidly coupled to a stop valve 282(FIGS. 17A and 17B), a cold water inlet tube 28′ fluidly coupled to astop valve 280 (FIGS. 17A and 17B), and outlet tube 30. Hot and coldwater inlet tubes 26, 28′ of waterway assembly 24′ are fluidly coupledto hot and cold water supplies 6, 8, respectively, for receiving waterinto faucet 10′. Hot water inlet tube 26 may include a check valve 288(FIGS. 17A and 17B). Cold water inlet tube 28′ includes a first portion28 a′, a second portion 28 b′, and a third portion 28 c′. Cold waterinlet tube 28′ also includes a multi-directional flow member,illustratively a T-member 152. T-member 152 includes a first portion 152a extending in an illustratively vertical direction and a second portion152 b extending generally perpendicularly from first portion 152 a.First portion 28 a′ of cold water inlet tube 28′ extends between coldwater supply 8 and a bottom end of first portion 152 a of T-member 150.Third portion 28 c′ of cold water inlet tube 28′ may include a checkvalve 284 (FIGS. 17A and 17B) and is fluidly coupled to valve assembly20 and a top end of first portion 152 a of T-member 150. Both top andbottom ends of first portion 152 a may include sealing members (notshown) for preventing water leaks between T-member 152 and cold waterinlet tube 28′.

Second portion 28 b′ of cold water inlet tube 28′ may include a checkvalve 286 (FIGS. 17A and 17B) and is fluidly coupled to water treatmentassembly 50′ and second portion 152 b of T-member 152. Second portion152 b of T-member 152 may include sealing members (not shown) forpreventing water leaks between T-member 152 and cold water inlet tube28′.

Illustratively, outlet tube 30 includes first portion 30 a and secondportion 30 b. Both first and second portions 30 a, 30 b of outlet tube30 are fluidly coupled to water treatment assembly 50′. Moreparticularly, first portion 30 a extends between valve assembly 20 and awater treatment housing 54′ of water treatment assembly 50′. Secondportion 30 b extends below water treatment housing 54′ and bendsupwardly to pass through spout body 12 in order to couple with sprayhead 15 and deliver water from outlet 2.

To limit contact between the water in faucet 10′ and metalliccomponents, waterway assembly 24′, including inlet tubes 26, 28′, outlettube 30, and T-member 152, may be formed of, or lined with, a flexible,non-metallic material, such as a polymer, illustratively across-linkable polymer, as detailed above with respect to waterwayassembly 24. As such, waterway assembly 24′ is illustrativelyelectrically non-conductive.

Referring to FIG. 8, spray head 15 may be a pull-down spray head, asdetailed above, and is fluidly coupled to second portion 30 b of outlettube 30. Spray head 15 may be configured to adjust the flow mode of thewater at outlet 2. The flow mode of operation may be a spray, a stream,an aerated mode, or any combination thereof, and may include additionalflow outlet patterns. Spray head 15 may be mechanically or electricallycoupled to mode sensor 120 in order to communicate the flow mode tocontroller 136. More particularly, mode sensor 120 may be positioned onor within faucet 10 and may include a user input (not shown) toelectrically toggle or switch between a stream mode, a spray mode, orother aerated modes, for example. A stream mode may output water fromoutlet 2 in a laminar, less turbulent manner than a spray mode.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, water treatment assembly 50′ of faucet 10′comprises water treatment housing 54′, a first printed circuit board 56,a second printed circuit board 154, water treatment device 58′,illustratively an ozone generator, a first electrically operable valve60, and a second electrically operable valve 156. Water treatmenthousing 54′ includes cover members 54 a′ and 54 b′ which, when coupledtogether through latches 158 and latch openings 159, generally surroundfirst and second printed circuit boards 56, 154, water treatment device58′, and first and second electrically operable valves 60 and 156.Faucet 10′ is configured to operate in either a treatment mode or anon-treatment mode. More particularly, when faucet 10′ is in thetreatment mode, first electrically operable valve 60, not secondelectrically operable valve 156, is open. Conversely, when faucet 10′ isin the non-treatment mode, second electrically operable valve 156, notfirst electrically operable valve 60, is open.

Referring to FIGS. 8-11, water treatment assembly 50′ further includesan inlet waterway 64′ and an outlet waterway 66′. As detailed furtherbelow, outlet waterway 66′ includes a waterway tube 162 and is fluidlycoupled to outlet tube 30. Illustrative inlet waterway 64′ may begenerally perpendicular to outlet waterway 66′ and is fluidly coupled towater treatment device 58′ and second portion 28 b′ of cold water inlettube 28′. Inlet waterway 64′ defines a treatment flow path 302 (FIGS.17A and 17B) in which cold water from cold water supply 8 bypassessecond electrically operable valve 156 and flows through water treatmentdevice 58′ in order to flow treated water from outlet 2.

As shown in FIG. 11, inlet waterway 64′ of water treatment assembly 50′may support filter 112, flow rate sensor assembly 124, thermistor 122,and a pressure-compensating flow restrictor 200 (FIG. 17A). Flowrestrictor 200 may be available from Neoperl, Inc. and may be configuredto restrict flow at a maximum rate of approximately 0.5 gallons/minute.

Filter 112 may be positioned within inlet waterway 64′ of watertreatment assembly 50′ to remove impurities and other particulate matterfrom the water. As such, filter 112 may improve the quality of thewater. Filter 112 also may increase the uniformity of the water.Additionally, flow rate sensor assembly 124 may be positioned withininlet waterway 64′. Illustratively, flow rate sensor assembly 124 isdownstream from filter 112 and includes turbine 126 and Hall-Effectsensor 128 (FIGS. 9 and 10). Thermistor 122 is supported by thermistorretainer 123 and a support member 160 on inlet waterway 64′ and isreceived within an aperture 194 (FIG. 12). Flow rate sensor assembly 124and thermistor 122 are electrically coupled to controller 136 (FIG. 7).More particularly, flow rate sensor assembly 124 and thermistor 122 areelectrically coupled to controller 136 via printed circuit board 56.

Printed circuit board 56 and controller 136 also are electricallycoupled to first electrically operable valve 60. Referring to FIGS.9-11, first electrically operable valve 60 is supported within valvecavity 76 and extends substantially perpendicularly to inlet waterway64′ and waterway tube 162. As shown in FIG. 11, fasteners 176 retainfirst electrically operable valve 60 within valve cavity 76. Firstelectrically operable valve 60 may be an electromechanical valve,illustratively a solenoid valve, for converting energy into linearmotion. As detailed above, first electrically operable valve 60 includesmagnetic portion 78, plunger 80, and valve member 82. More particularly,plunger 80 is positioned within magnetic portion 78 and valve member 82is spaced apart from magnetic portion 78. First side 82 a of valvemember 82 is comprised of magnetic material (e.g., metal) and secondside 82 b of valve member 82 is comprised of a non-conductive sealingmaterial (e.g., rubber). First electrically operable valve 60 iselectrically coupled to external power supply 146 (e.g., the electricalsystem of the house, building, or other structure in which faucet 10′ isused) (FIG. 7).

First electrically operably valve 60 further includes a spring mechanism275 (FIG. 11) within magnetic portion 78 such that plunger 80 isspring-biased toward a closed position. In other words, as shown in FIG.12, first electrically operable valve 60 is closed when no power issupplied thereto and plunger 80 may extend from magnetic portion 78 inorder to contact first side 82 a of valve member 82 and push valvemember 82 toward valve seat 83 (FIGS. 12 and 13). As such, second side82 b of valve member 82 is sealingly engaged with valve seat 83 toprevent water from flowing into treatment cavity 84.

As shown in FIG. 13, in order to open first electrically operable valve60, a voltage is applied to magnetic portion 78 to form a magnetic fieldalong plunger 80 when faucet 10′ is operating. The magnetic field causesplunger 80 to slide or retract within magnetic portion 78 to open oractuate first electrically operable valve 60. When first electricallyoperable valve 60 is in the open position, plunger 80 retracts withinmagnetic portion 78 and compresses spring mechanism 275 (FIG. 11). Assuch, when first electrically operable valve 60 is operating, plunger 80is spaced apart from valve member 82, thereby allowing the waterpressure of the water in inlet waterway 64′ to create a pressuredifferential in valve cavity 76 and push valve member 82 away from valveseat 83 and toward plunger 80 and magnetic portion 78. During operation,first electrically operable valve 60 may generate heat and, therefore,heat sink 114 may be coupled to circuit board 56 and positioned nearfirst electrically operable valve 60. Cover member 54 b′ may includeslits 116 adjacent heat sink 114 to vent heat produced by firstelectrically operable valve 60.

As shown in FIG. 13, treatment cavity 84 may be separated from valvecavity 76 by wall 106. More particularly, wall 106 of water treatmenthousing 54′ is positioned intermediate treatment cavity 84 and valvecavity 76. Wall 106 includes openings 108 that regulate and controlwater flowing between valve cavity 76 and treatment cavity 84.Optionally, a spacer (not shown) having at least one opening or windowmay be positioned between sleeve 90 and wall 106 in order to furtherregulate and control the volume of water that flows between valve cavity76 and treatment cavity 84. As such, openings 108 control and regulatethe volume of water that flows through water treatment device 58′.

With reference to FIGS. 9-11, treatment cavity 84 removably supportswater treatment device 58′ therein. Illustrative water treatment device58 may be a filter device, an antibacterial device, or any other deviceconfigured to treat a fluid within faucet 10′. Antibacterial devices areconfigured to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, for example, infoods or on inanimate surfaces or hands (Seehttp://wwwfda.govIFood/ResourcesForYou/StudentsTeachers/ScienceandTheFoodSupply/ucm215830.htm). Illustratively, antibacterial devices may use chemicaltreatments (e.g., chlorine), additives, ozone, UV, and other knownmethods to kill or inhibit growth of bacteria.

Illustratively, water treatment device 58′ is an antibacterial ozonegenerator configured to output ozone into the water. Water treatmentdevice 58′ is positioned upstream from outlet tube 30 and is housedwithin sleeve 90. Threaded end 96 of treatment cavity 84 is threadedlycoupled to cap 98 (e.g., a nut) to retain sleeve 90 and water treatmentdevice 58′ within treatment cavity 84. More particularly, cap 98 isdirectly coupled to, or integrally formed with, sleeve 90, such thatwhen cap 98 is removed from water treatment assembly 50′, sleeve 90 andwater treatment device 58′ also are removed from water treatmentassembly 50′. For example, FIGS. 14-16 shows that sleeve 90 includesresilient members, illustratively snap fingers 91, and a shoulder 93 toretain cap 98 on sleeve 90. As shown in FIG. 16, a lip 99 of cap 98 ispositioned intermediate snap fingers 91 and shoulder 93 of sleeve 90,and cap 98 contacts shoulder 93 when coupled to sleeve 90. Cap 98 isaxially retained by snap fingers 91 and shoulder 93 but is free torotate in order to threadedly couple with treatment cavity 84. Sealingmembers 102, illustratively o-rings, may be included to seal treatmentcavity 84. By coupling cap 98 and water treatment device 58′ togethervia sleeve 90, assembly and serviceability of faucet 10′ increases.Additionally, during assembly, cap 98 secures water treatment device 58′within treatment cavity 84. More particularly, water treatment device58′ may be positioned within treatment cavity 84 and, as cap 98 isthreaded onto treatment cavity 84, cap 98 presses against snap fingers91 and contacts shoulder 93. Snap fingers 91 then spring or moveoutwardly when lip 99 of cap 98 contacts shoulder 93 in order to retaincap 98 on sleeve 90. As cap 98 is further threaded onto treatment cavity84, sleeve 90 and water treatment device 58′ are secured withintreatment cavity 84 and move inwardly toward first electrically operablevalve 60.

Water treatment device 58′ illustratively includes first and secondchannels 118 a and 118 b, a pill 59′, and electrical wires 92.Illustratively, first and second channels 118 a, 118 b are substantiallyparallel to each other and pill 59′ may be intermediate channels 118 a,118 b. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, pill 59′ extends in a paralleldirection to ribs or dividers 119 on sleeve 90. Ribs 119 separate thetreated water flowing from channels 118 a and 118 b for a longerduration in order to increase the concentration of ozone produced in thewater flowing from channels 118 a, 118 b. For example, the ozonatedwater flowing from channel 118 a mixes with the water flowing indirection 150A (FIG. 4A) but is separated by ribs 119 from the waterflowing from channel 118 b. As such, ribs 119 may increase theconcentration of ozone in the water because the ozone has more time toabsorb into the water before the water is mixed and exits treatmentcavity 84, as further detailed herein.

Water treatment device 58′ is an electrolytic ozone generator configuredto produce ozone under pressure; however, water treatment device 58′ maybe configured to produce ozone through other methods (e.g., coronadischarge or “hot spark,” plasma, UV). The illustrative embodiment ofwater treatment device 58′ uses an electric current supplied to wires 92via external power supply (FIG. 7) and transmitted to pill 59′ of watertreatment device 58′ in order to produce ozone. Exemplary watertreatment devices 58′ may be available from EOI Electrolytic Ozone Inc.or Klaris Corporation Inc. The current supplied to wires 92 is heldconstant (e.g., 1.25 amps), however, the voltage may be variable (e.g.,14-24 volts). More particularly, by maintaining a constant current,water treatment device 58′ receives a constant power input, therebyallowing water treatment device 58′ to consistently operate. Forexample, when water treatment device 58′ produces ozone, the fixedcurrent maintains a consistent output of ozone which increases ozoneproduction and, therefore, increases the concentration of ozone in thewater. The voltage is variable and fluctuates to supply water treatmentdevice 58′ with necessary voltage depending on the requirements offaucet 10′.

Controller 136 (FIG. 7) may be configured to determine when the currentsupplied to water treatment device 58′ is not maintained at theconstant, predetermined level (e.g., 1.25 amps). Controller 136 isconfigured to signal the user that water treatment device 58′ is notoperating efficiently, for example due to mineral build-up, or should bereplaced. For example, controller 136 may be configured to flash red andwhite lights on user input 134 and prevent water treatment device 58′from operating when it is necessary to replace water treatment device58′ and/or when water treatment device 58 is not efficiently producingozonated or ozone-treated water. If water treatment device 58′ is notoperating efficiently, controller 136 also may be configured to reverseor flip the current in order to clean water treatment device 58′.Additionally, controller 136 also may indicate to a user that watertreatment device 58′ should be replaced. Exemplary water treatmentdevice 58′ may be configured to have a service life of at leastapproximately two years when typically operating approximately 10minutes/day.

Because water treatment device 58′ is positioned under sink deck 5,sufficient time is permitted for the ozone to be absorbed by the waterin second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30 before the ozone-treated wateris delivered from outlet 2. For example, outlet tube 30 may beapproximately 36 inches in length in order to allow the ozone to besufficiently dissolved or absorbed in the water before reaching outlet2. As such, the ozone concentration may increase as water flows towardoutlet 2 in second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30. Additionally, faucet10′ may include an aspirator (not shown) to facilitate the treatment ofthe water.

When water is configured to flow through water treatment device 58′, asshown in FIG. 13, water flows in a water passageway 110′ which includesvalve cavity 76, treatment cavity 84, and channels 118 a, 118 b. Waterpassageway 110′ extends between inlet waterway 64′ and outlet waterway66′ and between valve cavity 76 and treatment cavity 84. Illustrativewater passageway 110′ has a generally serpentine shape in order tocondense water passageway 110′. More particularly, water passageway 110′is substantially horizontal through inlet waterway 64′ and includes asubstantially right-angle bend as water flows in a substantiallyvertical direction between valve cavity 76 and treatment cavity 84.Illustratively, water passageway 110′ extends between valve cavity 76,through openings 108 in wall 106, and into treatment cavity 84. Waterpassageway 110′ includes another substantially right-angle bend intreatment cavity 84 and extends toward waterway tube 162. Theconfiguration of water passageway 110′ also increases the flow path ofthe water through water treatment device 58′ which may increase theamount of ozone absorbed into the water.

As water flows in water passageway 110′ between valve cavity 76 andtreatment cavity 84, water is separated such that a portion of the waterflows through water treatment device 58′ and a portion of the water sidestreams through channels 118 a, 118 b. The side streaming water isillustratively denoted by arrows 150A (FIG. 4A) and as such, bypasseswater treatment device 58′. The side streaming water 150A may minimizethe pressure drop within water treatment housing 54′. The water flowingthrough water treatment device 58′ is illustratively denoted by arrows150B (FIG. 4A) and may be treated, for example with ozone. As shown inFIG. 4A, arrows 150A and 150B indicate that the treated water flowingthrough water treatment device 58′ (FIG. 13) is generally coaxial withthe non-treated water flowing around water treatment device 58′. Assuch, when faucet 10′ is in the treatment mode, treated and non-treatedwater simultaneously flow in a generally coaxial arrangement throughtreatment cavity 84. Water treatment device 58′ is configured to produceozone (03) from the water flowing in the direction of arrows 150B (i.e.,flowing through water treatment device 58′). By separating channels 118a and 118 b with ribs 119 on pill 59′, oxygen may be separated fromhydrogen from a longer duration of time in treatment cavity 84 and maybe better able to form ozone. Therefore, the configuration and structureof pill 59′ may increase the concentration of ozone produced by watertreatment device 58′.

Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, and 12, water treatment device 58′ is fluidlycoupled to outlet waterway 66′ of water treatment assembly 50′ throughwaterway tube 162. Outlet waterway 66′ also is fluidly coupled to outlettube 30 and, more particularly, first portion 30 a of outlet tube 30 iscoupled to a first end 66 a′ of outlet waterway 66′ to define anon-treatment flow path 300 (FIGS. 17A and 17B) in which the user maycontrol the temperature, flow rate, and other properties of the watervia handle 34 and the water flowing to outlet 2 bypasses water treatmentdevice 58′. Outlet waterway 66′ further includes a second end 66 b′which is fluidly coupled to second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30. Firstand second ends 66 a′ and 66 b′ may include sealing members 174,illustratively o-rings, for preventing water leaks between outletwaterway 66′ and outlet tube 30. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, outletwaterway 66′ supports a temperature sensor, illustratively a thermistor188 and a thermistor retainer 190. Thermistor 188 is received within anaperture 192 in outlet waterway 66′. Illustratively, thermistor 188 isdownstream from second electrically operable valve 156 and is configuredto electrically communicate with controller 136 in order to determinethe temperature of the water.

Outlet waterway 66′ further includes a third end 66 c′ which isconfigured to receive waterway tube 162. Waterway tube 162 extendsbetween first electrically operable valve 60 and outlet waterway 66′.Waterway tube 162 may include sealing members 164, illustrativelyo-rings, for preventing water leaks between waterway tube 162 and thirdend 66 c′ of outlet waterway 66′. Waterway tube 162 is supported by achannel member 166, which includes a first end 168 adjacent treatmentcavity 84 and a second end 170 adjacent third end 66 c′ of outletwaterway 66′. Channel member 166 further includes tabs 172 forassembling or disassembling channel member 166 with waterway tube 162.

Outlet waterway 66′ also supports second electrically operable valve156. Similar to first electrically operable valve 60, secondelectrically operable valve 156 includes a magnetic portion 178, aplunger 180, and a valve member 182 having a first side 182 a comprisedof a magnetic material and a second side 182 b comprised of anon-conductive sealing material, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Secondelectrically operable valve is supported within a valve cavity 184 andis retained therein with fasteners 185. Second electrically operablevalve 156 is configured to move between an open position and a closedposition. A spring mechanism (not shown) similar to spring mechanism 275(FIG. 11) may be included to bias plunger 180 toward valve member 182such that plunger 180 contacts first side 182 a of valve member 182. Assuch, second electrically operable valve 156 is biased in the closedposition. In other words, as shown in FIG. 13, second electricallyoperable valve 156 is closed when no power is supplied thereto andplunger 180 may extend from magnetic portion 178 in order to contactfirst side 182 a of valve member 182 and push valve member 182 toward avalve seat 196 (FIGS. 12 and 13). As such, second side 182 b of valvemember 182 is sealingly engaged with valve seat 196 to prevent waterfrom flowing into second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30.

As shown in FIG. 12, in order to open second electrically operable valve156, a voltage is applied to magnetic portion 178 to form a magneticfield along plunger 180 when faucet 10′ is operating. The magnetic fieldcauses plunger 180 to slide or retract within magnetic portion 178 inorder to open or actuate second electrically operable valve 156. Whensecond electrically operable valve 156 is in the open position, plunger180 retracts within magnetic portion 178 and compresses spring mechanism275 (FIG. 11). As such, when second electrically operable valve 156 isoperating, plunger 180 is spaced apart from valve member 182, therebyallowing the water pressure of the water in first end 66 a′ of outletwaterway 66′ to create a pressure differential in valve cavity 184 andpush valve member 182 away from valve seat 196 and toward plunger 180and magnetic portion 178. As such, water from valve assembly 20 flowsthrough second electrically operable valve 156 and into second portion30 b of outlet tube 30. Water in second portion 30 b is dispensed fromfaucet 10′ at outlet 2 and is not treated by water treatment device 58′.

However, when a user desires to dispense treated water, for exampleozonated water, from faucet 10′, second electrically operable valve 156is closed and water only flows through first electrically operable valve60. When faucet 10′ is configured to flow water through water treatmentdevice 58′, the ozone-treated water at outlet 2 is preferably used as anantibacterial agent for disinfecting or cleaning applications orpurposes. Additionally, the ozone-treated water may be used to disinfectdrinking water. More particularly, until the ozone dissolved in thewater is destroyed or otherwise destructed, the ozone in the wateractively kills or inhibits growth of bacteria in the water.Alternatively, if the ozone dissolved in the water is destroyed, theozone-treated water remains disinfected or clean, however, the ozone inthe water no longer actively kills or inhibits growth of bacteria.

Outlet waterway 66′ may further include filter 113 (FIGS. 17A and 17B).For example, filter 113 may be supported at second end 66 b′ anddownstream from second electrically operable valve 156 and watertreatment device 58′. Alternatively, filter 113 may be supported insecond portion 30 b of outlet tube 30. Filter 113 may be configured tofurther improve the quality of the water by removing impurities or otherparticles. Additionally, filter 113 may be, for example, a carbon blackfilter, may be configured to destroy or destruct the ozone in the waterin second portion 30 b of outlet tube 30. As such, the water in secondportion 30 b of outlet tube 30 is treated with ozone and is disinfectedor clean as it is delivered from outlet 2. However, when the ozone inthe water is destroyed by filter 113, the water delivered from outlet 2no longer actively disinfects objects in contact with the water.Controller 136 may be operably coupled to filter 113 to controloperation of filter 113 and/or the flow of water through filter 113(i.e., through a bypass valve). As such, a user may selectively operatefilter 113 in order to produce disinfected water for particular cleanwater applications (e.g., drinking) and disinfecting water for otherwater applications (e.g., cleaning).

Faucet 10′ may include a quality sensor 144 (FIG. 7) to measure theoxidation-reduction potential (“ORP”) and/or the kill rate of theozonated water, thereby monitoring the effectiveness of water treatmentdevice 58′. For example, under normal operation, faucet 10′ isconfigured to dispense ozonated water having a concentration of at leastapproximately 0.3 ppm when the water flows at approximately 0.75gallons/minute and the temperature of the water is approximately 70° orless. Additionally, faucet 10′ may be configured to achieve a kill rateof at least approximately 3 log CFU for certain bacteria and viruseswithin approximately 60 seconds of exposure time on hard surfaces whenthe flow rate of the water is approximately 0.5-1.0 gallons/minute andthe temperature of the water is approximately 70° F. or less.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, controller 136 may receive input fromsensors, user input 134, or other inputs to control operation watertreatment device 58′. Illustratively, user input 134 is a mechanicalpush button on pedestal 36. Alternatively, user input 134 may be a touchor proximity sensor implemented by a capacitive sensor, IR sensor,acoustic sensor, and other sensors. Controller 136 electrically controlsthe operation of water treatment device 58′ and may include a timer orclock 142 to turn off water treatment device 58′ and/or faucet 10′ aftera predetermined length of time of operation. For example, controller 136may be configured to turn off faucet 10′ after four consecutive minutesof operation in order to prevent a potential overflow condition in sinkbasin 1. Additionally, controller 136 may be configured to turn offwater treatment device 58′ after three consecutive minutes of operationin order to prevent undesirable off-gassing. Also, clock 142 may recorda cumulative amount of time that water treatment device 58′ has beenoperating within a predetermined period. For example, when watertreatment device 58′ cumulatively operates for approximately 15 minutesduring a 60-minute period, clock 142 may send a signal to controller136. In response thereto, controller 136 may prevent water treatmentdevice 58′ from operating until water treatment device 58′ has beeninactive for a predetermined time.

Additionally, clock 142 may be configured as a water treatment retentiontimer. More particularly, controller 136 may cooperate with clock 142 tocontinue operation of water treatment device 58′ when a useraccidentally bumps or taps spout 12, thereby accidentally turning offthe water. For example, when water flows from outlet 2 and user input134 is activated, controller 136 activates water treatment device 58′ todeliver treated water from outlet 2. However, if a user accidentallybumps or taps spout 12 while water treatment device 58′ is operating,thereby turning off the water, and then subsequently taps spout 12 againwithin a predetermined time period, the water will turn on and treatedwater will continue to flow from outlet 2. As such, controller 136continues operation of water treatment device 58′ for a predeterminedtime (e.g., 30 seconds) after spout 12 receives a tap to turn water off.If the user does not tap spout 12 within the predetermined time periodto turn on the water again, thereby indicating that the user did notaccidentally turn off the water, controller 136 will stop operation ofwater treatment device 58′. It may be appreciated that controller 136may differentiate between a tap on spout 12 for controlling operation offaucet 10 and a grab on spout 12 for adjusting the position of spout 12.In particular, spout 12 is configured to swivel or rotate and a user mayadjust the position of spout 12 without turning on/off the water.

Faucet 10′ also may include a display or other signal indicator (notshown) operably coupled to user input 134 to indicate to a user whetherwater treatment device 58′ is operating. For example, faucet 10′ mayinclude a light-emitting diode (“LED”) display on pedestal 36 that mayuse a specific color to indicate if water treatment device 58′ is active(i.e., turned on). In other illustrative embodiments of the presentdisclosure, user input 134 may be backlit and illuminates to indicatethat water treatment device 58′ is operating. For example, user input134 may be backlit to illuminate a white light when water treatmentdevice 58′ is operating. Additionally, user input 134 may include atemperature indicator, for example a blue light for cold water and a redlight for hot water. Additionally, user input 134 may be configured togradually change from red to blue or blue to red to indicate arespective decrease or increase in the temperature of the water, asmeasured by thermistor 122. User input 134 also may be configured toproduce a flashing light output to signal other conditions of faucet10′.

Alternatively, rather than user input 134 to selectively activate watertreatment device 58′, capacitive sensor 138 and controller 136 may beused to operate water treatment device 58′ and/or actuate firstelectrically operable valve 60 through touch or proximity sensingtechnology. As such, capacitive sensor 138, in combination withcontroller 136, may be configured to monitor and control the operationof both first electrically operable valve 60 and water treatment device58′. Capacitive sensor 138 may comprise a hands-free proximity sensor,such as an infrared sensor coupled to spout 12, or a touch sensor tocontrol activation of first electrically operable valve 60 and/or watertreatment device 58′ in a manner similar to that disclosed in U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0253220 to Sawaski et al., thedisclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. Moreparticularly, capacitive sensor 138 also may comprise an electrode (notshown) coupled to spout body 12. The side wall of spout body 12 may beformed of an electrically conductive material (e.g., metal) and definethe electrode. In other illustrative embodiments, the electrode may bedefined by a separate electrically conductive element, such as a metalplate. Any suitable capacitive sensor 138 may be used, such as aCapSense capacitive sensor available from Cypress SemiconductorCorporation.

An output from capacitive sensor 138 is communicated to controller 136.More particularly, controller 136 may determine whether a touch (tap orgrab) is detected on spout body 12 and/or whether a user's hands orother object are within a detection area proximate spout body 12. Forexample, if capacitive sensor 138 is operating with the touch sensor,when a touch is detected on spout body 12, controller 136 determines thetouch pattern (number of touches) before implementing differentfunctions of faucet 10′. Controller 136 may determine that a single tapwas detected on spout body 12, thereby indicating that firstelectrically operable valve 60 should be turned off, for example.Alternatively, controller 136 may determine that two taps (a double tap)were detected on spout body 12 within a predetermined time period (e.g.,one second), thereby indicating that first electrically operable valve60 and water treatment device 58′ should be turned on, for example.

The concentration of ozone in the water, and therefore, theeffectiveness of water treatment device 58′, may be affected byparameters or properties of the water, such as flow rate, temperature,the flow mode at outlet 2, and the amount of power supplied to watertreatment device 58′. User input 134 may be configured to flash a whitelight when any of the parameters or properties are insufficient orundesirable for the operation of water treatment device 58′. As such,controller 136 monitors and controls the operation of water treatmentdevice 58′ in response to signals sent by thermistor 122 and flow ratesensor assembly 124, power sensor 140, quality sensor 144, and modesensor 120. The exemplary faucet 10′ may be configured for ozoneconcentrations of at least approximately 0.3 ppm.

Power sensor 140 monitors the power available to first electricallyoperable valve 60, second electrically operable valve 156, and watertreatment device 58′. For example, power sensor 140 may be configured todetermine the level of current in water treatment device 58′. Moreparticularly, if the current is lower than a predetermined amount, noozone may be produced by water treatment device 58′. As detailed above,a low concentration of ozone decreases the effectiveness of watertreatment device 58′. Therefore, if water treatment device 58′ is turnedon when the current supplied to water treatment device 58′ is below apredetermined minimum level, controller 136 will prevent water treatmentdevice 58′ from operating in order to prevent damage to water treatmentdevice 58′. User input 134 may indicate to a user that water treatmentdevice 58 has not been activated.

Controller 136 also may communicate with a secondary or back-up powersource, illustratively battery 130, externally coupled to watertreatment housing 54′ and electrically coupled to first and secondelectrically operable valve 60 and 156. If external power supply 146loses power, faucet 10′ may be prevented from operating. However,battery 130 or other secondary power system may provide electricity tofaucet 10′ in the event of a power loss. Battery 130 is illustratively aqV battery having a service life of at least approximately five years.Battery 130 is configured to power faucet 10′ in a non-treatment modefor up to six months in the event of a sustained power loss. User input134 may be configured to intermittently flash a red light to indicatethat battery 130 should be replaced. It may be appreciated that battery130 can be replaced without accessing water treatment housing 54′because battery 130 is coupled to the outside of water treatment housing54′.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 11, thermistor 122 is upstream from watertreatment device 58′ such that the water flowing from inlet waterway 64′flows over thermistor 122 before flowing to water treatment device 58′.The temperature of the water is inversely related to the concentrationof ozone in the water, and in particular, as the temperature of thewater increases, the concentration of ozone in the water may decreasedue to undesirable off-gassing. When controller 136 receives atemperature measurement from thermistor 122 that is greater than apredetermined maximum temperature (e.g., 85° F.) for a predeterminedlength of time, such that the temperature of the water will adverselyaffect the concentration of ozone in the water, controller 136 mayprevent water treatment device 58′ from operating. Additionally, if thetemperature of the water is periodically greater than a secondpredetermined temperature (e.g., approximately 120° F.), undesirableoff-gassing also may occur and controller 136 may prevent watertreatment device 58′ from operating. If water treatment device 58′ isactivated when the water temperature is equal to or greater than thepredetermined maximum temperature, user input 134 may indicate to a userthat water treatment device 58′ has not been turned on. For example,user input 134 may be illuminated with a flashing white light toindicate that the temperature of the water is not within an operatingrange for water treatment device 58′.

Similarly, and as shown in FIG. 11, the flow rate of the water mayaffect the concentration of ozone in the water, and therefore, theeffectiveness of water treatment device 58′. Illustratively, thepredetermined operating range of the flow rate may be approximately0.01-2.5 gallons/minute. The maximum flow rate may be controlled bypressure-compensating flow restrictor 200 (FIG. 17A). Alternatively, asshown in FIG. 17B, a second flow restrictor 202 may be included in watertreatment assembly 50′. Illustratively, second flow restrictor 202 iswithin outlet tube 30 and is intermediate thermistor 122 and secondelectrically operable valve 156. When the flow rate of the water is low(e.g., less than approximately 0.25 gallons/minute), undesirableoff-gassing may occur. Additionally, when the flow rate of the water ishigh (e.g., greater than approximately 1.0 gallons/minute), theconcentration of the ozone in the water may be adversely affected (i.e.,the concentration may be too low), thereby also decreasing theeffectiveness of water treatment device 58′. User input 134 may beilluminated with a flashing white light to indicate that the flow rateof the water is not within an operating range for water treatment device58′.

In certain illustrative embodiments, controller 136 may be operablycoupled to flow rate sensor assembly 124 and water treatment device 58′in order to proportionally adjust the ozone output or ozoneconcentration relative to the flow rate. For example, as the user orflow restrictor 200 decreases the flow of water through faucet 10, theconcentration of ozone may be adjusted because ozone concentration isdependent upon the flow rate. Illustrative faucet 10′ is configured tolimit airborne ozone caused by off-gassing to approximately 0.05 ppmduring an eight-hour time-weighted average, 0.2 ppm during a 15-minutetime-weighted average, 10 and 0.5 ppm during peak exposure.

The flow modes of the water at outlet 2, or variations thereof, also mayaffect the concentration of ozone in the water. More particularly, theturbulence of the water is inversely related to the concentration ofozone in the water. As the turbulence of the water increases, theconcentration of ozone in the water may decrease. As detailed above, thestream mode produces a more laminar, less turbulent flow of water atoutlet 2 when compared to the spray mode. Additionally, the water isless turbulent when the aerator produces a laminar stream. As such, modesensor 120 may send a signal to controller 136 to prevent watertreatment device 58′ from operating when spray head 15 is in a spraymode or when the aerator is in an aerated mode. If water treatmentdevice 58′ is turned on when spray head 15 is in the spray mode, forexample, controller 136 may prevent water treatment device 58′ fromoperating and user input 134 may indicate to a user that water treatmentdevice 58′ has not been activated. Alternatively, controller 136 maysend a signal to change the mode of spray head 15 to produce a laminarstream. Additionally, faucet 10′ may be configured with a manualoverride option, thereby allowing users to continue to use faucet 10′ inthe treatment mode when the water at outlet 2 is turbulent.

In alternative embodiments, controller 136 and/or the user may controloperation of water treatment device 58′ to proportionally increase ordecrease the production of ozone relative to the flow rate, thetemperature of the water, the current or power supply to water treatmentdevice 58′, and/or the properties or composition of the water (e.g., theconcentration of ozone outputted to the water may be adjusted if thewater has been filtered or otherwise treated before entering watertreatment device 58′). In particular, pill 59′ of water treatment device58′ may be operated by controller 136 to optimize the production ofozone such that the concentration of ozone absorbed into the water alsois optimized based upon the detected flow rate and temperature of thewater. Additionally, the concentration of ozone in the water may beadjusted to conserve water treatment device 58′ (e.g., the output ofwater treatment device 58′ is reduced such that the water may bepartially ozonated in order to conserve water treatment device 58′). Auser input, such as a dial sensor, slide sensor, or other similar inputsmay be used to allow the user to positively adjust the concentration ofozone to a particular concentration.

As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the illustrative embodiment faucet 10′may operate according to the following examples. When first and secondelectrically operable valves 60 and 156 are closed, faucet 10′ is offand does not operate (i.e., water does not flow through outlet 2), asshown in box 212 and defined as Condition A (box 210). When faucet 10′is turned off and in Condition A, water treatment device 58′ also isturned off, as shown in box 212. As shown in box 214, if the user doubletouches faucet 10′ when faucet 10′ is turned off, faucet 10′ remains offand does not operate.

As shown in box 220, a single tap may activate second electricallyoperable valve 156 through capacitive sensor 138 such that secondelectrically operable valve 156 opens. However, as shown in box 220,first electrically operable valve 60 remains closed and water treatmentdevice 58′ remains turned off. Therefore, non-treated water flowsthrough non-treatment flow path 300 and from outlet 2. Moreparticularly, faucet 10′ may be configured to start in the non-treatmentmode, shown in FIG. 12, in which water from hot and/or cold watersupplies 6, 8 flows through second electrically operable valve 156 andvalve assembly 20 before flowing from outlet 2. Faucet 10′ may be turnedon in the non-treatment mode by activating capacitive sensor 138 bytouching or tapping spout 12, manually moving handle 34, and/orotherwise activating user input 134 and/or other sensors on faucet 10′.The temperature and flow rate of the water may be adjusted by movinghandle 34. If the user adjusts the position of handle 34 to indicatethat both hot water and cold water are desired, water flowing from hotwater supply 6 flows through hot water inlet tube 26 toward valveassembly 20. Similarly, water from cold water supply 8 flows into firstportion 28 a′ of cold water inlet tube 28′, through T-member 152, intothird portion 28 c′ of cold water inlet tube 28′, and toward valveassembly 20. Cold water may flow into second portion 28 b′ of cold waterinlet tube 28′, however, first electrically operable valve 60 is closedwhen faucet 10′ is in the non-treatment mode and, therefore, water isprevented from flowing into first electrically operable valve 60. Assuch, water from cold water supply 8 bypasses first electricallyoperable valve 60 and water treatment device 58′ when faucet 10′ is inthe non-treatment mode (FIG. 17A). When both the hot and cold water flowinto valve assembly 20, the water is mixed in valve body 32 in order tooutput water at the desired temperature selected by the user throughmoving handle 34. The mixed water then flows through first portion 30 aof outlet tube 30, through outlet waterway 66′, and through secondportion 30 b of outlet tube 30 in order to flow through spout 12 andfrom outlet 2. It may be appreciated that when faucet 10′ is in thenon-treatment mode, first electrically operable valve 60 is closed andwater treatment device 58′ is not activated. As such and shown in FIGS.17A and 17B, both first electrically operable valve 60 and watertreatment device 58′ are bypassed (i.e., water does not flowtherethrough). User input 134 may be illuminated with a blue light toindicate that faucet 10′ is operating in the non-treatment mode. Asshown in FIG. 18A, a single tap, as shown in box 228, may then closesecond electrically operable valve 156 and return faucet 10′ toCondition A (box 230) (i.e., faucet 10′ is turned off).

Referring again to FIGS. 18A and 18B, a double tap, as shown in box 232,may activate first electrically operable valve 60 and water treatmentdevice 58′, such that the water at outlet 2 is treated with ozone. Moreparticularly, as shown in box 234, the double touch initiates ConditionC, in which second electrically operable valve 156 is closed, firstelectrically operable valve 60 is opened, and water treatment device 58′is turned on. As shown in FIG. 13, when faucet 10′ is in the treatmentmode shown in Condition C, second electrically operable valve 156 isclosed (i.e., valve member 182 is in contact with valve seat 196) and,as such, hot water does not flow to spout 12. Additionally, becausesecond electrically operable valve 156 is closed, any cold water inthird portion 28 c′ of cold water inlet tube 28′ does not flow throughsecond electrically operable valve 156 or spout 12. It may beappreciated that when faucet 10′ is in the treatment mode, the operationof faucet 10′ is independent of handle 34. As such, a user may adjusthandle 34 without affecting operation of faucet 10′ when in thetreatment mode.

Referring to FIG. 13, when in the treatment mode, cold water from coldwater supply 8 flows into first portion 28 a′ of cold water inlet tube28′, through second portion 152 b of T-member 152, and into inletwaterway 64′ of water treatment assembly 50′. First electricallyoperable valve 60 is opened such that valve member 82 is spaced apartfrom valve seat 83 to allow water to flow through water passageway 110′and into valve cavity 84. User input 134 may be illuminated with a whitelight to indicate that faucet 10′ is operating in the treatment mode.

As water flows through inlet waterway 64′, controller 136 determines,through flow rate sensor assembly 124, if the flow rate is within anoperating range and, likewise, determines, through thermistor 122, if atemperature of the water is below a predetermined maximum temperature.Additionally, controller 136 determines if the flow mode at outlet 2defines a stream and if power is available for water treatment device58′. If the flow within the operating range, the temperature of thewater is below the predetermined maximum temperature, the flow mode is astream, and power is available, controller 136 will activate watertreatment device 58′. As such, and with reference to FIG. 13, power issupplied to water treatment device 58′, in particular to pill 59′. Aswater flows from valve cavity 76 and into treatment cavity 84, aside-streaming portion of the water flows in direction 150A (FIG. 4A)around water treatment device 58′ and a portion of the water flows indirection 150B (FIG. 4A) through water treatment device 58′. When waterflows through water treatment device 58′, ozone is produced. Theozonated water flows from water treatment device 58′ and mixes with thenon-ozonated, side-streaming water and flows into waterway tube 162,through second end 66 b′ of outlet waterway 66′, through second portion30 b of outlet tube 30, through spout 12, and from outlet 2. As such,when faucet 10′ is in the treatment mode, the water at outlet 2 istreated and may be used for disinfecting purposes.

Conversely, if controller 136 determines that the temperature of thewater is greater than the predetermined temperature, that the flow rateis above or below the operating range, that the water at outlet 2 is inthe spray mode, or that insufficient power is available to watertreatment device 58′, controller 136 may prevent water treatment device58′ from operating when faucet 10′ is in the treatment mode. As such,pill 59′ may not be activated and, therefore, ozone may not be producedfrom the water flowing through channels 118 a, 118 b. Also, it may beunderstood that water treatment device 58′ will not operate if firstelectrically operable valve 60 is not operating. User input 134 mayindicate that water treatment device 58′ is not operating.

As shown in FIG. 18A, only a single touch on spout body 12 (box 240) maybe required to simultaneously close first electrically operable valve 60and turn off water treatment device 58′. When faucet 10′ is in thecondition indicated in box 242, faucet 10′ may be completely turned offwith a double touch, as shown in box 244, such that faucet 10′ isreturned to Condition A (box 246). However, controller 136 may continueto detect inputs for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 30 seconds)in order to determine if the user positively turned off faucet 10′ or ifthe user accidentally tapped faucet 10′ without desiring to turn offfaucet 10′. If the user does not tap faucet 10′ after the predeterminedamount of time, faucet 10′ is returned to Condition A, as shown in box248. However, if the user inputs a single touch, rather than a doubletouch, within the predetermined amount of time, as shown in box 250,faucet 10′ is returned to Condition C (box 252).

When in Condition C (box 234), the user may double touch faucet 10′ toopen second electrically operable valve 156, close first electricallyoperable valve 60, and turn off water treatment device 58′, defined asCondition B (box 260). When in Condition B (box 260), another doubletouch by the user, as shown in box 266, configures faucet 10′ inCondition C (box 268). Alternatively, if user input 134 is used toselectively indicate that the treatment mode is desired, faucet 10′ isconfigured in Condition C (box 272). However, a single touch by theuser, as shown in box 262, configures faucet 10′ in Condition A (box264).

When in Condition C (box 234), the user may activate user input 134, asshown in box 236, to return faucet 10′ to Condition B (box 238).Similarly, when in Condition Bin which second electrically operablevalve 156 is open, first electrically operable valve 60 is closed, andwater treatment device 58′ is closed (box 222), the user may activateuser input 134, as shown in box 224, to toggle or switch between thenon-treatment mode and the treatment mode and return faucet 10′ toCondition C (box 226). Also, when in Condition A, the user may activateuser input 134 to initiate operation of faucet 10′ in the treatmentmode. More particularly, when user input 134 is used, as shown in box216, and faucet 10′ is in Condition A, faucet 10′ immediately operatesin Condition C to provide treated water at outlet 2.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference tocertain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as described and defined in thefollowing claims.

1. A fluid delivery device for outputting a fluid comprising: a spoutsupporting an outlet; a valve assembly in fluid communication with theoutlet; a controller operably coupled to the valve assembly; and a fluidtreatment assembly operably coupled to the controller, the controllerconfigured to control operation of the fluid treatment assembly basedupon a flow rate and a temperature of the fluid, wherein the controlleris configured to control an output of the fluid treatment assembly whenat least one of the flow rate is lower than a predetermined minimum flowrate and when the temperature is greater than a predeterminedtemperature.
 2. The fluid delivery device of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is further configured to control operation of the fluidtreatment assembly based on at least one of a flow mode of the fluidflowing through the fluid delivery device and an amount of powersupplied to the fluid treatment assembly, and the controller isconfigured to control the output of the faucet when at least one of theflow mode is changed and the amount of power supplied to the fluidtreatment assembly is lower than a predetermined amount.
 3. The fluiddelivery device of claim 1, wherein the fluid treatment assemblyincludes a fluid treatment device and a housing, a first portion offluid flows through the fluid treatment device, and a second portion offluid flows around the fluid treatment device, the first and secondportions of fluid being generally coaxial in the housing, and the fluidtreatment device being configured to output a treatment to the firstportion of fluid.
 4. The fluid delivery device of claim 3, which thefluid treatment device comprises an ozone treatment device configured toprovide ozone in the fluid.
 5. The fluid delivery device of claim 1,further comprising a capacitive sensor operably coupled to the fluidtreatment assembly, the capacitive sensor providing an output signal,and wherein the controller is operably coupled to the capacitive sensorand is configured to monitor the output signal from the capacitivesensor to selectively operate the fluid treatment assembly in responseto the output signal.
 6. The fluid delivery device of claim 1, furthercomprising a pull-out spray head removably coupled to the spout anddefining the outlet.
 7. A faucet comprising: a spout supporting anoutlet; a valve assembly in fluid communication with the outlet; and awater treatment assembly having a water treatment device and a housing,wherein a first portion of water flows through the water treatmentdevice and a second portion of water flows around the water treatmentdevice, the first and second portions of water being generally coaxialin the housing, and the water treatment device being configured tooutput a treatment to the first portion of water.
 8. The faucet of claim7, wherein the water treatment device is removably coupled to thehousing.
 9. The faucet of claim 8, wherein the water treatment deviceextends generally perpendicularly to an inlet portion and an outletportion of the water treatment assembly.
 10. A housing for a fluidtreatment device of a faucet comprising: an inlet tube; a first cavityfluidly coupled to the inlet tube; a second cavity fluidly coupled tothe first cavity and supporting the fluid treatment device; anelectrically operable valve supported within the first cavity; a fluidtreatment assembly supported within the second cavity and fluidlycoupled to the electrically operable valve; and an outlet tube fluidlycoupled to the second cavity, the first cavity being substantiallyaligned with the second cavity, wherein fluid in the first cavity flowsthrough the electrically operable valve and directed into the secondcavity.
 11. The housing of claim 10, further comprising a fluidpassageway configured for fluid to flow through the inlet tube and bendat a substantially right angle to flow through the first cavity and thesecond cavity, and bend at a substantially right angle to reversedirection and flow through the outlet tube.
 12. The housing of claim 10,wherein a controller is configured to control an output of the fluidtreatment assembly when at least one of flow rate of fluid is lower thana predetermined minimum flow rate and when the temperature of the fluidis greater than a predetermined temperature.
 13. A faucet for deliveringfluid comprising: a spout; an electrically operable valve fluidlycoupled to the spout; an ozone treatment device configured to provideozone in the fluid; a capacitive sensor operably coupled to the ozonetreatment device, the capacitive sensor providing an output signal; anda controller operably coupled to the capacitive sensor and beingconfigured to monitor the output signal from the capacitive sensor toselectively operate the ozone treatment device in response to the outputsignal.
 14. The faucet of claim 13, wherein a user touch on the spout isdetected by the capacitive sensor to selectively operate the ozonetreatment device.
 15. The faucet of claim 13, further comprising a firstvalve in fluid communication with the spout, a first flow path fluidlycoupled to the first valve, a second valve spaced apart from the firstvalve and in fluid communication with the spout, and a second flow pathfluidly coupled to the second valve.
 16. The faucet of claim 15, whereinfluid selectively flows through one of the first flow path and thesecond flow path, and when in the first flow path, the fluid flowsthrough the first valve in spaced relation to the ozone treatmentdevice, and when in the second flow path, the fluid flows through thesecond valve and the ozone treatment device.
 17. The faucet of claim 13,further comprising a pull-out spray head removably coupled to the spout.18. An electronic fluid delivery device comprising: a spout configuredto deliver fluid from an outlet; a valve assembly in fluid communicationwith the spout; a sensor operably coupled to the spout and configured todetect a flow mode at the outlet; a user input operably coupled to thesensor; and a controller in electronic communication with the sensor andthe user input, the sensor being configured to provide an electricalsignal to the controller indicative of the detected flow mode at theoutlet.
 19. The electronic fluid delivery device of claim 18, furthercomprising a fluid treatment assembly operably coupled to the controllerand configured to selectively output a treatment to the fluid.
 20. Theelectronic fluid delivery device of claim 18, further comprising apull-out spray head removably coupled to the spout.